Archives: June 2010

City Pride: Unique Gifts for Your Bridal Party

Want a unique gift for your bridal party? Why not give them your city (or their city) … in poster form! There are a bunch of fabulous city-themed posters out there to choose from and OrkPosters, Jennifer Lockwood, Jim Datz and The Heads of State have designed some of my all-time favorites!

bridal party gifts

Photo Credit: Jennifer Lockwood

wedding ideas

Photo Credit: Jennifer Lockwood

wedding party gifts

Photo Credit: Ork Posters

wedding party gift ideas

Photo Credit: Ork Posters

wedding gifts

Photo Credit: Ork Posters

gift ideas

Photo Credit: Three Potato Four

wedding gift ideas

Photo Credit: Three Potato Four

wedding ideas

Photo Credit: The Heads of State

bridal party gift ideas

Photo Credit: The Heads of State

I’m not only a fan of these city posters, I own two of them myself! Below is my Chicago Neighborhood Map by OrkPosters and I also own “The City Speaks” by Jennifer Lockwood.

wedding party gift ideas

Photo Credit: Kio Kreations (OrkPoster featured on the wall)

Concerned that a poster will not travel well with your out-of-town bridesmaid? Ork also makes city t-shirts!

wedding party gift ideas

Photo Credit: Ork Posters

So, why not take pride in your city and gift it to your bridal party! With so many fabulous options–how could you not?!

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Filed under: Favors & Gifts, Fun & Creative Ideas, Guest Experts
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Vendor Interview: My Moon Restaurant

Today I have a beautiful wedding venue to share with you. My Moon in Brooklyn, New York is the perfect place for an intimate wedding – no matter the number of guests.  Even the weddings here with 200+ guests feel like intimate affairs due to the relaxed setting and romantic ambiance.

Once an old factory building, My Moon and has transformed this space into a unique venue.  With brick walls and decor that reflects the boiler room it once was, this is a space filled with character.   There is plenty of space indoors and it also opens to an outdoor patio which is a lovely setting for cocktail hour or ceremony location.

Unique wedding venue

Photo Credit: My Moon

NY wedding venue

Photo Credit: My Moon

wedding venue

Photo Credit: My Moon

intimate wedding venue

Photo Credit: My Moon

Tell us why you think your venue is a popular choice for brides and grooms.
First of all we are full service restaurant, with full bar and offer up to a 246 person seating capacity. Weddings are a very special, unique experience. We enjoy hosting them and do whatever we can to make the experience one of a kind. We don’t kick people out at a predetermined time and our venue offers lots of flexibility with seating, entertainment, and special requests.

What inspired you to start your business?
I am a natural host. I enjoy myself when people are enjoying themselves. It’s been a part of my family and culture for as long as I can remember.

Is there a particular niche you target?
No, not necessarily. We try to accommodate everyone. However, I must say that the majority of couples that come to us are extremely fun people with open minds.

How do you help couples customize their weddings?
Due to the versatility of our space and staff we’re able to cater to the couple’s every desire. No requests are denied. Everything from menu to décor is open for discussion.

Photo Credit: My Moon

NY wedding venue

wedding ceremony venue

Photo Credit: My Moon

My moon weddings

Photo Credit: My Moon

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Filed under: Our Team, Vendors We Heart
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Lovely Beach Weddings Ideas

Beach Weddings are lovely. They are fun, relaxing and carefree. Many couples believe that because they have decided on a low-key beach wedding, they can’t have a grand and beautifully decorated wedding. I’m here to share with you many budget friendly ideas for that lovely day in the sun that engaged couples dream of for their romantic beach wedding affair.

wedding dress

Photo credit: www.jcrew.com

My first idea is of course for the dress! If you are having a beach wedding, think about having a budget friendly dress. After all, you wouldn’t want to spend thousands of dollars for a dress that may get damp or sandy on the beach. Consider looking for less expensive dresses (but equally beautiful). Look at dresses from J. Crew, Nordstrom and etsy.com for a budget friendly dress that you’ll be sure to fall in love with.

beach wedding details

Photo credit: www.inthenowweddings.com

beach wedding ideas

Photo credit: wwwinthenowweddings.com

beach theme wedding cake

Photo credit: www.inthenowweddings.com

Look for ideas from the beach for an inspired beach theme. Use seashells for any wedding décor item – as escort cards instead of paper, decorate the wedding cake with shells instead of flowers or fondant/marzipan pastry crafted flowers.

beach theme wedding favors

Photo credit: www.bario-neal.com

Sweet Message in a Bottle! Since you’re at the beach, you might as well do all the standard romantic ideas, like giving message in a bottle wedding favors! Fill small apothecary jars with sweet nothings, charms, lavender etc. Guests at the wedding will find this favor a lovely surprise that will make them smile.

Happy Planning :)

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Filed under: Our Brides & Grooms, Theme & Color Inspiration
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Featured Photographer: Alysse Gafkjen Photography

Alysse of Alysse Gafkjen Photography is this week’s Macro Monday featured photographer. Alysse is a graduate of the Columbus College of Art and Design where she received her BFA in Photography. She’s known for her love of travel, people and music and her documentation of all three. She hopes that her photography will inspire, influence and promote living life to its fullest.

Alysse recently did a vintage style engagement shoot with Nat and Beth. The couple collaborated with Alysse to create a wardrobe which would give a modern 60’s feel with an early 1900’s twist. Here are the results …

wedding photography

Photo Credit: Alysse Gafkjen Photography

vintage engagement shoot

Photo Credit: Alysse Gafkjen Photography

Alysse: “Some pieces worn were mine and some they had found and brought themselves.  The locations were scouted beforehand and some locations were found during the shoot(I like to work more spontaneously).  The editing was done so that a nostalgic vintage feel could be reached, scratched surfaces to reminisce old daguerreotypes from the 1900’s as well as the colors reflecting the 60’s and 70’s look and feel of polaroids.  We decided that even though it was freezing outside we would use the beautiful snowy backdrop to our advantage as snow is the perfect natural reflector.  Thus, the images created are sunny and bright and feel so warm even though they were shot outside on a brutally cold day.”

engagement session photography

Photo Credit: Alysse Gafkjen Photography

vintage wedding photography

Photo Credit: Alysse Gafkjen Photography

These last ones are my favorite. With all the warmth in these photos … it’s very hard to believe that these were taken on such an incredibly cold day!

vintage engagement photography

Photo Credit: Alysse Gafkejen Photography

vintage engagement session

Photo Credit: Alysse Gafkjen Photography

engagement photos

Photo Credit: Alysse Gafkjen Photography

Congratulations Nat and Beth on your engagement!  Thank you Alysse for sharing this beautifully coordinated engagement shoot with us!!

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Filed under: Engagements, Featured Photographers, Our Team, Photography
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DIY Upcycled Cake Stands

Cake stands are not just for cake and cupcakes. Any type of dessert, fruit, appetizer, or even wedding favors can be displayed on a cake stand. And you can create your own custom, whimsical display stands with very little effort and cost. After the wedding, you can even reuse the stands to hold jewelry or other small objects around your house.

First, collect your pieces. Visit your local thrift shop or yard sales for bargains on plates, saucers, tea cups, vases, etc.  Ask around for donations from your family and friends as well. You will also need clear caulking for adhesive. Then, make sure all of your pieces are clean and dry, and glue them together to form a tiered stand. It’s so simple and fun.

If you don’t have the time to make these yourself, I found some homemade, upcycled cake stands for sale on Etsy.

DIY Cake stands

Photo Credit: Trudy10

cake stand

Photo Credit: StyleGarden

DIY wedding

Photo Credit: SaucerandMilk

These creations by Esther Coombs are decorated with her own drawings for an even more personalized touch.

Cake Stand

Photo Credit: EstherCoombs

DIY wedding

Photo Credit: Esther Coombs

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Filed under: DIYs & Downloads, Our Team
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